Various Techniques for Making T-Shirts/Clothes Look & Feel Vintage

[Bigmouth]

random question:
would colour-safe bleach still do the job of making the clothes softer, but prevent the fading? i think i read the whole topic, and i don't think i saw anything about colour-safe bleach...

"Color-safe bleach" isn't really bleach.  It's actually an optical brightener--a sort of  dye that the detergent adds to the fabric.  UV light makes it glow (I remember an old dorm decorating trick of painting on the walls with liquid detergent and turning on a blacklight).  It makes whites and colors look brighter, but doesn't do anything to the composition of the fabric.

So, no, the color-safe bleach wouldn't make the clothes softer.  But washing clothes many times in detergent with color-safe bleach (or any detergent) would, in most cases.

[justxoames]

Does anyone know of any ways to give jeans the "destroyed" look without actually making holes in the jeans.  At my school, we are not aloud to have jeans with holes in them, so I wanted to still have the look and still be able to follow dress codes.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks 

[Coyotelady]

I did a quick web search and found this article.  http://teenfashion.about.com/od/diyfashion/a/destroyeddenim.htm

You could probably use the same process just minus the cutting and tearing.  To make it look like it might have been torn you could use patches here and there if you wanted.

[indigo flower girl]

You could try jeans with holes in them, patched up with more denim or other, maybe flashier, fabrics, like brocade or whatever you like. 

http://www.delias.com/item.do?categoryID=487&itemID=44683&sizeFilter=&brandFilter=
http://www.delias.com/item.do?categoryID=487&itemID=44650&sizeFilter=&brandFilter=
http://store.alloy.com/item.do?categoryID=464&itemID=44607&sizeFilter=&brandFilter=

[crystaleternity]

Okay Okay I came up with the best idea for making t-shirts look and feel vintage...

Wear them to bed! Just think, pyjamas end up all soft and comfy and FADED after a few months bed-wearing and washing.

I realised this the other day when thinking about how one of my friends admitted when we were in a bar that she was wearing a top that had originally been a pyjama top because it was all soft and comfy.

So now I've put my boring new t-shirts onto a rota of being worn to bed. Think about all the lovely creasing and sweating in them that'll get done without you even needing to try!

[Hananabread]

you can vintage the edges of shirts by attacking with sand paper, but i wouldnt advise using sandpaper for jeans.   it takes forever.  i tried sand paper on some thinner jeans that i had and i eventually gave up and grabbed a cheese grater.   cheese graters work really well but i have 3 tips for vintaging jeans

1. Use an old cheese grater because my darling mummie spazzed when she found all the denim fuzz in the grater
2.Put the jeans on when you start grating or at least mark down where on the jeans you want it done,  it will look more natural if you mark it down
3.Use sand paper on the jeans after to soften the worn away parts,  the grater can be harsh..

[jonesabi]

If anyone's looking for rock salt/large crystal salt...an easy place to go is your local hardware store, especially in the winter. My grocery store also carries some rock salt during these months. You can get a 10 lb. bag of rock salt (ice cream salt) for a buck or two. Don't waste your time/money buying it from the food section. Or, if you live in PA, you could just go to your local salt barn and sneak some out. Just kidding.

[IzzyBella]

Okay Okay I came up with the best idea for making t-shirts look and feel vintage...

Wear them to bed! Just think, pyjamas end up all soft and comfy and FADED after a few months bed-wearing and washing.

I was going to say that.  The softest shirt I've ever owned was worn to bed every night for a month straight with absolutely no washing at all (Dude, I missed my boyfriend, what can I say?).  The moment it came out of the washer for the first time, it was a velvety-soft piece of heaven. 

[a besoin de parler]

it was a velvety-soft piece of heaven. 

Ha.  Count me in.

[xveganettex]

i sort of discovered a way to get your jeans a little bit faded without bleach...all on accident....as i was painting my guitar amp...in my most comfiest pair of jeans (stupid stupid stupid!)...
anyways...the dog jumped off the couch and onto my plate of paint and then onto my legs...
so i took them off as fast as i could and threw them in the sink full of hot water and a bunch of this cheap dish soaap my parents had
Ajax antibacterial citrus..
and then after about 30 mintues of scrubbing for 5 mintues...stopping. ..scrubbing again for 5 mntues stopping ..ect ect... when i lifted the jeans from the water it was blue...and they were slightly faded...AND!..the paint came almost completly out! WOOH!